Tues Apr 22 - Day 15
I’ve been in Oz for 2 weeks now, and it has flown by. Today I did laundry and a bunch of internet stuff. Then in the afternoon I went on a walking tour of Sydney. It was cool. I saw some of the historic stuff, as well as the Opera House and Harbour Bridge and the Botanical Gardens.
It’s a little weird to be on my own again after spending the last few days with people. It’s good though. I need some time by myself to relax and regroup. It’s harder to meet people in the larger hostels, though.
Wed Apr 23 - Day 16
I took a day trip to the Blue Mountains today. It rained and was also foggy. I believe the phrase used is a "pea-souper". Before the rain started we went to the Olympic village from fthe 2000 games. It was cool to see the complex and it was really great how they made it a "green" (as in eco-friendly) Olympics. The entire roof of the main stadium was covered in solar panels.
After the Olympic stadium we stopped in a little village on the mountain called Leura, which is the aboriginal word for lava. It was little and quaint. And I spent a lovely time in the smallest café I’ve ever seen in my life. There were literally 6 tables for 2. I think the whole place was about 10 feet across and maybe 20 deep. I also stopped into an old fashioned candy shop, but it wasn’t as fun as you’d expect. It is truly autumn here, though. Between the leaves changing colour and falling and the weather, it felt like November feels at home.
The highlight of the day was Scenic World Rainforest park. We took a cable car across the valley to view Katoomba falls. Then we took a train that was in the Guinness book of World Records for the steepest incline at 52 degrees. It was really cool. We got to walk through the rainforest on a raised wooden walkway. There was tons of information about when the mountains were used for mining. Then we took a cable car back up and moved on.
Most of the lookout points where we were supposed to stop were whited out by the fog. We were able to stop at Echo Point to view the rock formation known as the Three Sisters. There’s a really interesting myth behind the naming of the rocks, too. While we were there, we saw an aboriginal performing with a dijeree-doo. I got a picture taken with him and it was pretty cool.
We came back to the city via ferry. It was a cool experience. Sydney has ferries as part of their public transit system. They’re pretty sturdy, so I didn’t feel too sick. Amanda, my friend from Coff’s arrived in town tonight, but she was meeting up with someone else, so I’ll see her tomorrow.
Thurs. Apr 24th - Day 17
I spent the whole day with Amanda. We did the City Sightseeing tour. It’s basically a double-decker bus that goes around town and you can get on and off as many times as you like. It was really cool. We went around Darling Harbour and The Rocks (which is the first settled area of Australia). We got off the bus at the Opera House stop. Amanda is in love with it, so we had to take about 9 million pictures. Then we went inside and wandered around a bit. Didn’t do a tour or see a show cuz it was too pricey.
The weather was really changeable. One minute it was sunny and the next, rain was pelting down. So we didn’t get off the bus too much more. We rode the entire circuit and then got off for the last time at Darling Harbour. We went to the Harbourfront Center, which is basically a big mall and did some shopping. I picked up some souvenirs for people, as did Amanda.
We split up when I had to leave for my Ghost Tour. Amanda went back to the hostel, and I headed into the Rocks. I love the Rocks. All the buildings are restored original and it’s like a rabbit warren of little alleys and twisting streets. You can just feel the history when you walk through it. And the tour was great. My tour group was full of Aussies. I was the only one from overseas. The guide had props for us all and he really knew his stories. I got to wear this crazy medallion and I was "the clairvoyant". It was fun and not really so scary.
When finished I just went back to the hostel to hang out with Amanda. Then went to bed.
Fri Apr 25th - Day 18
Today was a public holiday called ANZAC day. It’s like memorial, or rememberance, day. And it was jam packed full. Amanda and I used the last of our tour tickets to go out to Bondi Beach. The weather was crap, so we didn’t stay, just took a couple pics from the bus. It looks pretty much the same as every other beach that I’ve seen.
When we got back from Bondi, we went to Taronga Zoo, where I finally saw... A PLATYPUS!!!!!!! It was very, very exciting. And I actually saw two. There were also these canine-type things called dholes and meercats. We saw all the other animals too, the lions and tigers and bears - oh my! I even dragged Amanda into the reptile house and we looked at lizards and snakes and frogs. I love the reptile house. For the whole day we were just like kids. Running here and there, taking pictures on all of the statues. It was a long day though. I think we spent about 5 hours at the zoo and the day didn’t end there.
One thing we both wanted to do before we left was go to King’s Cross. So we went there for a Friday night out, with Amanda’s roommate Annabelle (she’s from Belgium). Dinner was fantastic in this cute little restaurant. Then when we tried to go to a club, where we got id’d. Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem, but I’m a moron and didn’t think to bring mine. Being 25 and with a 37 year-old (with the drinking age 18) I didn’t think I’d need it. But they wanted it, so we had to go back to the hostel to get it.
Once we were back in the central part of the city we decided to go to a different bar (where we wouldn’t have to pay a cover). We started at Scubar, which is the backpacker’s bar. It was full of teeny-boppers and it was supposed to be retro night, but the dj was awful and the music sucked. So we left after a drink.
We ended up at an Irish pub called Scruffy MacMurphy’s. It was so much fun. The drinks were cheaper and there was a live band. They played great music, everything from Livin’ on a Prayer to the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Greenday and a bunch of other stuff too. We were there until 3am, just dancing and having a good time.
Sat Apr 26th - Day 19
Today was the laziest day. We all slept in. Once we were up and moving we went shopping in the Rocks. I found all of my Garth Nix books and bought them. I have to figure out a way to pack them, so that they’re safe. I think they’re going to stay in my carry-on, right next to my laptop. We had lunch at a little bistro in the Rocks and it was pretty good.
Because we were so late, I didn’t have much time to hang out with the girls before going to the Bridge Climb. I got to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It was so cool. It actually wasn’t as thrilling as I thought it would be. I mean, the view was spectacular, but there was absolutely no fear about being so high up. I guess that’s for the best, but still...
The guide was spectacular. She knew tons of stories and she obviously loved her job. My favourite story was about the only guy to "fall" off the bridge and survive. He was an Irish highdiver and he knew how to hit the water properly. He broke a rib and had to have his boots surgically removed from his feet and legs. But otherwise he was fine. How cool is that?
Sun Apr. 27th - Day 20
I was up before the butcrack of dawn today. My bus left Central station at 5:40am. I caught it and got to the airport early, which was good because I’m a moron and went to the wrong terminal. I did catch the shuttle and made it to my plane to Melbourne on time. The flight was short and I dozed most of the way. The temperature in Melbourne is 10 degrees, but it’s nice and sunny, so I don’t mind.
The hostel is outside of the city center. It’s in a suburb that’s like an impoverished small town. All of the shops were closed, either because it was Sunday or just closed down completely. I discovered this on a desperate search for contact solution. I eventually got the receptionist at the hostel to direct me to a grocery store in the city center so that I could get some.
I actually did a lot of sightseeing, in spite of being sick. I mean, I’m only here for a day, right? First I went to Queen Victoria’s Market. It’s similar to the night markets in Taiwan, but it’s huge! There’s a series of open air sheds that take up an entire block (country sized, not city) and they’re filled by vendor after vendor, all selling different things. I managed to finish my souvenir shopping.
Right outside the market is the bus stop for the free tourist bus. So I got on that and rode it around the entire loop. It went through the garden district, and the arts precinct as well as by all the memorials and museums. It’s another hop on and off service, too. I didn’t feel well, so I only got off at one stop.
That one took me to the Dutch Orange Day festival down by the river. It’s the day that all the Dutch celebrate the queen. Everyone was wearing orange. The festival was small, but there were booths for food and other things. One had tulips and another had clog slippers. There was even a performance for the kids. It was just like a street fair at home.
I also started Across the Wall. It’s a novella and a bunch of short stories by Garth Nix. It is fantastic. He covers pretty much every genre, but usually with a fantasy twist. One story is a parody of the "choose your own adventure" style and it is absolutely hilarious. I garnered more than a few odd looks as I read it, because I was reading it with my dinner and kept laughing out loud.
Mon Apr 28th - Day 21
Today is my last day in Oz. I catch my flight to New Zealand tomorrow, after a 12 hour bus ride. My bus doesn’t leave until 8, so I have all day to kill. I’m going to store my luggage at the station and then do the touristy sightseeing stuff that I didn’t do yesterday. I feel a little bit better, even though the temperature is only about 8 degrees. It’ll be even colder in NZ though, so I guess I should get used to it.
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